Fire-escape.



' r I r C. M. SHBELEY.

PIRE ESCAPE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.14, 190s.

924,695, Patented June 15, 1909.

attenua/9o UNITE STATES EATENT QFFXCE.

CHARLES M. SHEELEY, OF GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. SHEELEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Island, in the county of Hall and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tire escapes of a portable type, and has for its object to provide a fire escape of this character which shall be simple in construction and operation, strong enough to hold the heaviest person likely to use it, ready at all times for instant use, and requiring no mechanical knowledge on the part of a person to place the device in position and descend by it.

A further object of the invention applies to the construction of the drum around which the rope, used for descending, passes. This drum is provdied with a deep peripheral groove having a plurality of spaced ribs on each side thereof, the ribs on one side alternating with those on the other side and so disposed that the rope as it passes over the drum travels in a circuit-ous or Zigzag course, at the same time being wedged between each engaging rib and the side of the groove opposite, and above the bottom of the groove, thereby preventing the rope slipping over the drum and descending faster than the latter rotates.

l/Vith these and other objects in view, the invention comprises the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whicl Figure 1 is a view of a portion of the interior of a room showing in full lines the improved lire escape, attached to a bracket beside a window, as it appears when not in use; and in dotted lines when swung out of the window for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of the fire escape taken in an axial plane. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on a plane at a right angle to Fig. 2 on the line 3 3. Fig. a is a sectional view of the drum around which the rope travels.

Similar reference numerals are used for the same parts in all the figures.

The numeral 1 indicates a circular disk of an appropriate size having its periphery 2 beveled, as shown. Suitably spaced from the disk 1 on the side having the lesser diameter is a plate 3 narrower at the top than at the bottom, and rigidly fastened to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 14, 1908.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial N0. 410,819.

disk 1 by bolts 4 and vat the top and bottom, respectively.

Secured to the disk 1 and plate 8 by the upper bolt el and a screw or bolt 42a is a hook 6 for suspending the apparatus, as for instance, from a movable arm or crane 7 hinged to a frame S fixed to the wall of a room beside the window. Surrounding the lower bolt is a spacing sleeve 511 to iX the distance between the disk and the plate.

Between the disk 1 and the plate 3 parallel thereto is a small drum 9 fastened to a horizontal shaft 10 journaled in the disk and the plate and projecting through the former for a short distance to receive a cross arm 11 centrally pinned to the shaft and extending in diametrically opposite directions beyond the periphery of the disk.

Pivoted intermediate its ends in each forked end of the cross arm 11 is a lever 12, the inner ends 13 of which levers are widened and overhang the beveled periphery 2 of the disk 1 and are correspondingly inclined to bear on said periphery. The outer ends of the levers 12 carry weights 14 that over-balance the inner ends 13, which latter ends are preferably provided with wear plates or friction plates 15. Similar friction plates 15a are attached near the ends of the cross arm 11 to bear against the face of the disk 1 near its periphery.

An endless rope 1G passes over the drum 9 and between two rollers 17 below the drum and parallel to each other and to the bolt 5. The rollers 17 are placed sufliciently near each other to cause the rope 16 to incline inwardly from the drum so that the rope will embrace as much of the drum as possible.

The drum 9 is made with a deep peripheral groove 18 having a curved bottom 19 and two curved sides and 21 spreading slightly from the bottom 19 of the groove to the periphery of the drum. On each side 20 and 21 of the groove 18 are a plurality of spaced ribs 22 curved in like manner to their respective sides, and extending from the periphery of the drum to the bottom of the groove 1S. The ribs 22 of one side of the drum are of equal number and alternate with those of the other side for the purpose of gripping the rope more tightly than would be possible were the ribs opposite each other or continuous from one side of the groove to the other. The width of the groove is such that the rope cannot reach the bottom 19 thereof, but is supported above it by the somewhat wedge-shaped ribs 22, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and t. It will be observed in said figures that the rope 16 is supported at the top of the drum between a rib 22 and the opposite side 21 of the groove. The nekt rib in order is on the side 21, while the opposite side has no rib. This arrangement of ribs causes the rope to assume a wavy or zigzag position as it passes over the drum and insures a firmer grip on the drum by the rope which is further strengthened through keeping the rope above the bottoni of the groove by means of the inclined walls and their alternating ribs. The drum may be fixed to the shaft 10, as noted or the drum 9 and shaft 10 may be cast integrally, as in Fig. 4C. In the former case, the drum may be made in two parts divided through the center of the groove and suitably fastened together.

When a person wishes to use the lire escape, he rai ies the lower sash of the window and swings the arm 7 out of the window,

Aand also the endless rope, which will in all cases be long enough to reach the ground from the highest window or place of escape. As soon as the endless rope reaches the ground, either side, part or portionthereof depending from the pulley is to be grasped by the hands, and the user slips from the window. The descending rope revolves the pulley and through the shaft the cross arm turns, causing the weighted end of the levers 12 to fly out and press their inner ends 13 against the beveled periphery of the disk 1, andthe face of said disk against the yfriction plates 15a on the cross arm holding the disk in a wedge like grip thereby regulating the speed of descent in a manner well known. Because of the peculiar construction of the drum, the rope cannot possibly slip thereon and cause the person descending to travel faster than the governor permits.

I claim 1. In a device of the kind described, a pulley block comprising a circular plate having a beveled periphery and a centrally disposed aperture a shaft held to revolve in said aperture, a rope drum rigidly connected to said shaft, said rope drum being located on the beveled side of said disk, a bar located on the fiat sideof said disk, said bar being rigidly attached to the shaft, levers pivotally connected to said bar having their inner end arranged to bear against the beveled portion of the disk, weights attached to the outer end of saidlevers, and an endless rope carried on said drum.

2. In a device of the kind described, a circular disk provided with a beveled periphery, and a centrally located aperture, a shaft held to rotate in said aperture, a rope drum carried on said shaft and rotating therewith, saidY rope drum being located on the beveled side of said disk, a bar located on the opposite side of the disk and rigidly attached to the shaft provided Vwith fork ends extending beyond the periphery of the disk, a lever pivoted in each of the fork ends of said bar provided with a beveled face adapted to engage the beveled vportion of the disk, weights on the opposite ends of said levers from the beveled portion, friction plates carried on said bar engaging the periphery of the disks, and an endless rope passing around said drum.

3. Ina fire escape, a drum, a rope upon the drunna support in which the drum is mounted, and a governor for regulating the speed of rotation of the drum, said support having a cone friction surface presented in the direction of the drum, an arm carried by the drum, a centrifugally actuated brake shoe carried by the arm and adapted to bear frictionally upon the cone friction surface of the support, said support having also a flat friction surface, and a frictionshoe carried by the arm and bearing against said surface, actuation of the centrifugal brake shoe tending to hold the support in the direction of the said arm. 

